Chapter 7: Aftermath

Monday morning before I headed off to school, we got a call from the police officer who took our statements and asked if we could come in immediately for some more questions. I had school but mom thought this was more important, so we went to the police station to answer their questions. Most of them were the same questions, I think to try and poke holes in my story, but I gave them the exact same answers, varied a little but the same truth none the less.

“Well Miss McDowell, seems your story checks out. Also want to inform you that other charges are pending if you want to pursue them. Stalking for one, and after we reviewed your early archived streams, we are pursuing charges of enticing a minor, and many others might come up during the investigation. Although from the way he is acting, he might just be put into a mental ward.”

“What do you mean ‘from the way he is acting’?” Mom asked the officer.

“Well I can’t say much, but the doctors at the hospital say he has been saying the same things over and over. Having a psychotic break as they called it.”

“Oh dear, well can’t say I’m sorry for him, he attacked my child after all. So where is he now? Still in the hospital?”

“Yes Ma’am he is, broken back, lumbar vertebrae were shattered somehow when he hit the sinks, he’ll probably be paralyzed from the waist down, and no more intimate moments either if you get my meaning” We got her meaning alright.

“Should be punishment enough, but we do want to pursue him to the fullest extent.”

“Alright, we will keep in contact with you with our investigation, and in case you need to testify. Also here are a couple of my business cards, if the school gives you trouble about being late, have them call me, I’ll set them straight.” She led us out of the station.

Mom and I got in the car and headed towards school, I’ve missed 2 periods already and gym was coming up. We made it well before gym class started and I checked in they wanted to send me to in school suspension for the day because of my tardy, but mom was having none of it. She gave her the officers card and told them to call them right then and there. The secretary did and confirmed I was at the station answering questions, about what they didn’t say for privacy reasons.

“Alright you can either go to class or sit in the library for the last 10 minutes. Here’s your pass for either choice. And I’m sorry about you having to deal with the police sweetie.” The secretary was sincere when she said that last part, I could feel it radiate from her. Add empathy to the abilities I have because suddenly I could feel everyone’s emotions.

As I headed towards the library, I was nearly overwhelmed with all the emotions of all the students in the school. It took me a minute or two to concentrate on the emotions and to block them out, to filter them out, like a firewall. Soon I was back to my normal self, I could feel that they were there, but mostly as white noise and soon forgotten.

I was browsing the sci-if section in the library, for a few minutes before the bell rang for us to change classes. I didn’t find anything worthwhile checking out so I headed off to gym class.

<Let’s go to the co-ed lockers.> I thought to Danny.

We met up and headed into the lockers to change, but instead of our normal place I took him to a more secluded area of the lockers.

“What are you doi...”

<Shhh, act normal, but I need to know something.> I cut him off and we began to strip down to change into our gym close. I took a deep breath and turned towards him. <Look at me, am I beautiful?>

Danny turned and looked at me, in just panties, no top, no bra, my breasts and body open for inspection to him. He looked me in the eyes, never once looking me up and down and thought to me. <You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve seen. What brought this on? You’ve never been self-conscious of yourself or body oh ... I see now.> Danny went quiet, but he stepped closer and held me by my shoulders and softly kissed my forehead <We better get changed or risk getting caught and you know how suspicious they’ll be if a boy and a girl come out late of the co-ed lockers late.> He smiled at me as we got dressed, making it out to gym class on time.

I felt better after letting Danny really look at me, even though he didn’t, his kiss soothing my doubts away. Gym class was a rest day and not required to do anything, just some running if you wanted to. Danny and I took a seat and pulled out our English assignments, might as well use some of this time for schoolwork and talk.

I was reading over my story assignment when Beth came over and ripped it out of my notebook and tore it in half and stomped on it with her dirty gym shoes.

“What the hell Beth?! That was my assignment.” I stood up and putting my work aside and glaring at her.

“You’re going to do as I say. I saw you and Danny in the locker room earlier, what would the coach say if he knew you two were having an intimate moment?”

I glared at her, the only thought running thru my mind was wishing I could wipe that memory out. Beth suddenly had this blank look on her face before she came back to reality.

“What? Where?” then she looked at us “Why am I here with you losers?” she walked off kind of dazed and confused.

“What was that about?” Danny asked. I sat down and picked up my homework assignment.

“Fucking bitch ... I don’t know, you heard what she said, but all I could think at the time was with all our abilities I wished I could wipe that memory out. Then she kind of blanked out and walked off.” I looked down at my paper, ripped and boot stomped. “I can’t rewrite this in time for class, I’m gonna have to ask for an extension.” I sighed as I leaned back.

“So, are you saying what I think you are saying? You wiped the memory of Beth spying on us and trying to blackmail us into something?”

“I guess so? I was just so angry at her, first she destroys my work, then tries to blackmail us, mainly me. I guess it unlocked another hidden ability. And now suddenly I’m feeling tired, and my head hurts now.”

“You probably overexerted yourself to do that, might not be ready for those kinds of powers yet.”

I gathered my stuff and began to stand up, I started to feel dizzy and next thing I know I’m crashing to the floor, Danny yelling my name and the world goes dark. I’m aware of the darkness and look about, the same place when I died the first time. Not again, please not again. I call out for Danny, I try to telepathically call for him but nothing. Things were just starting to look up again.

“Paula, Paula, Paula. My sweet child come here.” I looked to the voice and it was Freya, holding her arms out to me as I went over to her and hugged her tightly.

“Please tell me I didn’t die. Things were just starting to feel right, looking up, even with that psycho stalker. I don’t want to die again.” I started to weep, I didn’t want to die again, not from this life.

“No worries my child, you just over did it is all, your spirit did leave your body yes, but will return when your body is able. You were not supposed to be able to wipe other minds so soon. You doing that has burned out your mind and it needs rest.”

“So, I’m just going to be hanging out in limbo while my body repairs?”

“Exactly, you’ll be back in your own body in a week.”

“A week!?” I exclaimed what was I going to do for a week in nothingness. “So, what all is there to do here in limbo? Going to be really boring if I’m stuck in nothingness for a week.”

“Oh child you’re almost ready to go back, time works differently here, your mind is nearly healed. You were transported to the local hospital when you collapsed.” She looked away for a moment. “Danny is a good boy, he’s been with you every day after school, watching over you as he does his work. He keeps reaching out to you, trying to find you...” she trailed off, lost in thought.

“I guess if I’m about to go I have one more question. Are there others like me and Danny? Who have died and been relocated to this Earth?”

She nodded “Yes there are others, some we can see, and others we cannot see.”

“We?”

“Yes ‘we’ mortal” and out of the shadows Loki appeared and stood with Freya.

“Loki, what are you doing here?” Freya asked

“Just keeping an eye on our children. Poor Paula here frying her brain, well lucky for you it can fix itself. Just try not doing that again for a while. Oh? Did you not want them to know I’m involved as well?”

“Silence Trickster.” She turned to me and sighed “Yes we my child, and it’s more than just the two of us you’ll be seeing soon enough.”

“And now dear Paula, allow me to return you to your regularly scheduled body, already repaired” With that Loki snapped his fingers and I was waking up in the hospital.

PAIN! Oh gods my head hurt! Felt like a train horn was bowing in my head, but soon the pain started to subside, I couldn’t move just yet, I reached out mentally to see if Danny was there, but a sharp stab in my temple stopped my from reaching out. My eyes slowly started to open, the light was so bright at first, then I started to focus.

“D-Danny?” I could barely talk my throat and mouth were dry as I looked around, it was dark outside, and sitting in a chair, reclined back was Danny asleep. I didn’t want to wake him, so I pushed the nurse call button, and a few minutes later a nurse came in to check on me.

“Are you finally awake dearie?” she whispered softly. I could only nod and whisper “water” and she went to get some water for me and returned a few minutes later with a doctor in tow.

“I see you are finally awake young lady.” The doctor commented. “How? I do not know, you were brain dead when you arrived. Everything but vital functions were gone, you had no brainwave activity.”

I was taking all this in when I heard Danny stirring as I strained to look at him. After taking a few sips of water I found my voice. “Danny?”

His head snapped up and looked at me “Paula! Thank the gods you are alright”

“I’m alive ... I think.” Turning to the doctor “Although I don’t want to self-diagnose myself, what do you think doc?” said with a little laugh.

“Well if you can make such horrible jokes like that, I’d say you’re alive.” He and the nurse laughed as well at that.

<ca-> I tried to think to Danny to call my mother, but my head was in pain again like it was splitting into two, I screamed out in pain and held my head. Only took me a few tries to realize my abilities were causing the pain. Crying now as the pain is past anything I’ve felt in either life and the possibility of losing my powers already, and the stress of that stalker attack, and Beth.

Danny jumped up and was at my side in an instant and whispered “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“A stabbing pain when...” remembering there’s others in the room stopping myself from revealing our abilities. “oh my head ... call mom Danny, let her know I’m awake.” I laid back in the bead closing my eyes the pain subsiding some.

“I’m a bit worried about these sudden stabs of pain, I’m going to order up a CT Scan asap. See what the cause might be.” Then the nurse took his orders to where they needed to go and the Doctor began to take my vitals, check my lungs, knees, normal doctor stuff. He was a pediatric doctor, but I could feel something from him when he his hand was on my back, I could feel something dark and cold causing me to shiver.

“Oh, sorry about that,” he then ran his hand over the stethoscope to warm it up. “they always get cold when not in use.” As soon as he had removed his hand the feeling was gone. While his thoughts were dark, I smiled, because that means my abilities were not gone, just damaged, I guess. I will have to work on getting them healed and back into working order.